معرفی
Dr. Franziska Turck is a Professor and Research Group Leader in the Department of Plant Developmental Biology at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany. Her laboratory focuses on epigenetic mechanisms that regulate plant development, particularly how plants form transcriptional memories based on past experiences through chromatin modifications.
Dr. Turck's research centers on epigenetic pathways, particularly Polycomb Group (PcG) protein complexes that establish chromatin compaction leading to gene repression. Her group investigates mechanisms that recruit and stabilize epigenetic repression and how distal enhancers can overcome epigenetic gene repression. Key projects include studying Polycomb Group Proteins in Plant Development and the Regulation of FLOWERING LOCUS T by distal enhancers and epigenetic repressors. Her work has revealed how TELOMERE REPEAT BINDING FACTORs recruit Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 to target regions and how chromatin accessibility at the FLOWERING LOCUS T locus is regulated by distal enhancers within PcG-repressed chromatin.
Analysis of Dr. Turck's recent publications shows a consistent focus on plant epigenetics, chromatin structure, and flowering time regulation. Her work bridges molecular mechanisms with developmental outcomes, particularly in how plants integrate environmental cues through epigenetic memory systems. Many publications appear in high-impact journals including Nature Genetics, Nature Plants, and PNAS, with several receiving Faculty of 1000 recommendations.
- Faculty of 1000 Recommendation for Targeted DNA methylation represses two enhancers of FLOWERING LOCUS T in Arabidopsis thaliana (2019)
- Faculty of 1000 Recommendation for Telobox motifs recruit CLF/SWN–PRC2 for H3K27me3 deposition via TRB factors in Arabidopsis (2018)
- Faculty of 1000 Recommendation for H2A monoubiquitination in Arabidopsis thaliana is generally independent of LHP1 and PRC2 activity (2017)
Dr. Turck mentors several PhD students including Juanjuan Wang (recently defended), Nicole Ivanov, Maik Mendler, Prathamesh Sannak, and Haoran Zhou. Her lab consists of postdocs, PhD students, and technical staff working on various aspects of plant epigenetics. Current projects include investigating TRB proteins' role in coordinating expression of translational machinery genes and floral organ identity genes, and exploring induced gametophytic embryogenesis through single-cell transcriptomics and epigenomics (EpiHAP project).
The Turck lab maintains active collaborations and participates in multiple research initiatives focused on understanding how epigenetic mechanisms control plant development and adaptation. The group utilizes advanced genomic, molecular, and imaging techniques to investigate chromatin dynamics at both whole-genome and locus-specific levels.
